Small Problems
by Larien Surion
Summary: A scheduled Item Creation takes a turn for the worst when an odd concoction from Team 3 is used on Team 2. Thanks to Ciissi for the idea and story that sparked this one! rated M because of what I plan to have happen later.
1. An Item NOT Worth Making

Small Problems

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**An Item NOT Worth Making**

It was innocent enough. Item creation was a simple enough task, and with everyone paired up, things wouldn't go wrong, right? Added crew members would also make for more interesting creations, and possibly better ones, too, yes?

That was not the thought after Item Creation Team 3 (consisting of Mericle, Lymle, and Serah) managed to make a very unique concoction that smelled like big-berries and looked like juice. And the roulette to try the mixture out landed on Item Creation Team 2 (consisting of Faize and Arumat).

Crowe didn't like the giggles the girls were sharing as the strange liquid was poured into two glasses and handed to the two Eldarians. "Edge, do you think this is a good idea?"

"How harmful could it be?" Edge asked.

"Remember the aphrodisiac they gave Reimi?" Crowe reminded. He thumbed the pregnant girl that made up the third member of Item Creation Team 1.

Edge made a face. It was thanks to that aphrodisiac that now had everyone wondering which crew member had fathered Reimi's child. "I get the point. But . . ."

"This is NOT funny." came a slightly higher-pitched voice from Team 2's desk.

"At least you can still see over the desk." came another high-pitched voice. "And you still at least sort-of fit your clothes."

Myuria and Baccus looked over, and their faces nearly fell. Upon seeing the reaction of the Morphus pair, Edge and Crowe headed over.

A nine-year-old glowered back at them, his clothing rather baggy around him. His grey hair was fluffier than it was when he was an adult, but those piercing golden-amber eyes said all.

"Arumat?" Crowe asked. He looked around. "Where's Faize?"

"Hiding his shame in his shirt." Arumat replied. "What was that mess?"

Reimi read the label on the bottle, which Welch had so graciously put on upside-down. "Potion of youth." she said.

Faize's fluffy green head poked out of the top of his shirt, and they saw a severe problem. Their ages had been reduced quite evenly. While Arumat was now a nine-year-old, the six-year difference between the two Eldarians remained. Faize was three.

"This is going to be a problem." said Edge. He picked Faize up, shirt and all and stood him on the table. "We're going to have to make new clothes for you two." He sat Arumat up on the table as well.

"My clothes are fine." said Arumat. He hated that his voice was nowhere near as commanding as it once was.

"You neglect the fact that you're covering your shame with your hands, I see." said Faize. It was also annoying how Faize's child-like voice still suited him. "Your pants are still on the floor."

"Yay, playmates!" cried Mericle.

It became obvious that Faize was irked when he struggled to get a hand out of the very long sleeve. When it was apparent the sleeve would not bunch-up properly, he gave up and used his symbology anyway.

"Ice Needles!" While smaller, just like his stature, the symbology still had the same desired effect. Mericle got ice in the face and scampered back to where Lymle and Serah were.

Myuria came over with a towel and wrapped it around Arumat. "We'll need to see about an antidote." she said.

"Then make it, witch!" Arumat growled.

"I cannot properly analyze the mixture." said Baccus. "We will have to wait until we reach EN 2 to make the antidote."

Faize yawned.

Arumat was livid. "That's three weeks away!" he practically shrieked. "How do you expect me to survive in this . . . this . . . THIS?! For three weeks?" He indicated to his shortened stature and inability to now use his scythe.

"I have to put up with it, too, and technically, I'm at a worse disadvantage." Faize returned.

"And that is?" Arumat growled.

"I won't be able to perform my duties on the bridge as I should." Faize replied. He inspected the hole his symbology had made in his sleeve. Short, but none the less dainty, fingers poked out, and Faize seemed more curious about how he'd managed to retain his slender figure than how to get out of this predicament.

Reimi suddenly piped up, starting with a "Thank you, Welch." She turned and carried a unique bundle over towards Arumat and Faize. However, she dumped half the parcel in Edge's arms and the other half in Crowe's.

"What are these?" Edge asked.

"Their new clothes." Reimi replied. "Now take them somewhere private to change. The rest of us will clean up in here."

Crowe sighed and helped Arumat off the table. "Come on, you can change once we get to your room."

Faize clung to his spot on Edge once he'd been picked up. The man he practically worshiped was holding him. He watched around him as Edge carried him up to the room he shared with Arumat. He sighed a little sadly as Edge put him down and handed him the clothes.

Here was another problem. Arumat changed quickly, and his clothes looked very similar to what he used to wear, except that it was a shirt on him and not the vest. Faize, however, couldn't even manage to untangle himself from his full-sized shirt. To make things worse, Arumat left after he was dressed, leaving Faize alone.

Faize cried. He cried like the small child he was; loudly, and with tears flying everywhere.

Edge stepped in and saw the small Eldarian, still in the long shirt, crying like something was terribly wrong. "Faize? Faize, what's wrong?"

Faize held his arms up. "I can't get out." he complained, dropping the formality. His large amethyst eyes looked pleadingly up at Edge. To his secret delight, Edge took the shirt off him and helped dress him in the new clothes.

He yawned again. The excitement was catching up to him, and he was getting sleepy. He held his hands up again to try and get Edge to hold him. It worked, and Faize nestled himself close to Edge's neck, dozing off before they even made their way to the lounge.

"This is cute." said Myuria.

"Hmm?" Edge tried to look at Faize. "Did he fall asleep?"

"Yes." said Myuria, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Hey!" cried Lymle. "I'm supposed to have nappy-time with Edgie!"

"Not today, Lym." said Edge. "Faize is smaller than you, now. You're going to have to let him take his nap with me this time."

Lymle pouted. "Mattie doesn't take naps." she returned.

Crowe snickered from where he sat on one of the couches looking out at the stars. Across his lap, sound asleep, was Arumat.


	2. It's Not Wise to Train Is It?

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**It's Not Wise To Train . . . Is It?**

Arumat yawned and blinked awake, only to find himself still flopped across Crowe's lap. Even worse, Edge was sitting nearby, holding something. He tried to get up, but something was impeding his progress.

"Hmm?" Crowe looked down. "Morning." He moved his arm, letting Arumat sit up.

"Why do I doubt that statement?" Arumat growled. He then noticed the figure curled up in Edge's arms. "What's he doing?!" he demanded.

Faize shifted, snuggling closer. One amethyst eye peeked at Arumat, and he grinned before snuggling into Edge's armor.

Arumat seethed. Faize was little and cute, while he wasn't. He looked at Crowe, one of two men he thought his equal. Would a similar tactic work? He decided to try, and scooted a bit closer.

Crowe looked at him. _Is something wrong? Arumat's usually never one to get close._ "Are you alright?" he asked.

Arumat looked up at him, then down at his hands. "I'll be fine." he said, pushing himself off the couch_. So much for being cute._ He trudged over and climbed the stairs to the second level of the ship.

Edge looked down at Faize, who was now pretending to be asleep so he could stay close. "I know your awake, Faize."

Faize looked up at him, his eyes like big watery pools. He whimpered, and his lower lip trembled.

Crowe could see the ploy clearly, but Edge fell for it, hook, line, and stinker. He held Faize close and ran a hand through the emerald hair.

Crowe shook his head and got up. He was in mid-stretch when Arumat's shout came from the upper living area. Everyone looked over, even Faize, who had been enjoying his cuddle. Another shout came, and Crowe ran, taking the stairs two at a time. He was joined by Myuria as he reached the top. The shout came again, and they knew where Arumat was. The training simulator.

As Crowe managed to get the door open, the training program halted and dissolved. "Arumat?" he asked.

The child lay across the floor, his silvery hair splayed out around him, and his clothes torn. He looked dazed as Crowe picked him up, and a bit of blood ran from his lip.

"Arumat? What happened?" Crowe asked, sitting in one of the chairs and wiping the blood away.

"I was just training." Arumat replied. He pouted, folding his arms over his small chest.

Myuria picked up the scythe. "Isn't this a little big for you to be using?" she asked.

"It's mine!" Arumat argued.

Crowe sighed and pulled the smaller Eldarian close, running his hands through the tangled silver hair. "Arumat, it's probably not in your best interests to be training right now. You're a child."

"I didn't ask to be one." Arumat argued. He nearly jumped when a small hand touched his leg.

Faize looked up at him. "I can't train, either." he said.

"You're useless." said Arumat.

Faize bit his lip in an effort not to use symbology on him. His small hand hit Arumat's leg.

"Faize, that wasn't nice." said Lymle. "Even I know better than to pick on Mattie." She walked over and grabbed Faize's arm. "That was very bad, kay?"

Faize blinked up at her. Lymle was treating him as though he were actually a child! He pulled his hand away, frowning. "You're a big meanie, Lymle." he said.

Lymle frowned. "You're acting spoiled." she returned.

Faize froze. _Spoiled? What did that word mean?_ He looked at Lymle, and for the first time, Arumat noticed something was missing. Something very important in Eldarian culture. He sat up and reached for his own ears. The sensory overload just from his own fingers made him fall out of Crowe's lap and onto the floor.

"Arumat?" Faize ran over. "What's wrong?"

Arumat looked at him, worried. "Who was cleaning up the item creation room?" he asked.

"Reimi was." said Crowe. "Why? What's wrong? You fell out of my lap so suddenly I couldn't catch you."

Faize noticed it. "Uh-oh." he said. "Gaigan's going to be mad about this."

"What is wrong?" Myuria asked. "Neither of you will answer us."

"You can't see it?" Arumat asked. He looked very worried. "I need to get them back." He grabbed Faize by the wrist and pulled him along. But the stairs was where Faize stopped.

"What?" Arumat asked.

Faize turned around and started crawling backwards down the stairs, watching his every step. The slow decent annoyed Arumat, but he waited as long as his patience would hold before finally heading into the item creation room.

Reimi was sitting there, carefully folding the clothing that had been left behind. She looked over as Arumat came in. "Hi." she smiled.

Arumat walked over and inspected the collection of clothing lying on the table. There they were! His small hand closed over the ear coverings, but Reimi put her hand over his, stopping him.

"But I need them." Arumat complained.

Reimi nodded. "I guessed that much." she said. She pulled a small box from the side of the table. "But those ones are too big, and might hurt. So I made a smaller pair for you."

Arumat blinked and looked at the smaller ear coverings. Because the ears were so sensitive, young Eldarians often had their ears covered by a bandage until they reached nine or ten. Then, they received their first ear covers, often accompanied by their first piercing, which was to hold the ear cover on.

His hand cautiously reached towards the ear covers. They were just the right size for his ears, now, and seemed to have been modeled after the ones he used to wear. Carefully, he put them on, then looked up at Reimi.

"Thank you." he said.

Reimi wanted badly to pull Arumat close to her, to pet the tangles out of his hair, and tell him everything was going to be alright. Gently, she reached a hand out and touched Arumat's shoulder.

Arumat nearly jumped out of his skin. The hand touching him was warm, gentle, and caring, three things he wasn't used to. But it didn't feel bad, so he let Reimi draw him closer. He leaned his head on her growing belly, letting Reimi run her fingers through his hair. He could feel the callouses in her first two fingers and her thumb from where she would hold an arrow on the string of her bow. The worn fingertips from using a keyboard at her station on the Calnus 2, and the previous ship, the Calnus. Reimi's hands said a lot about her as they worked out the tangles in his shorter silvery hair.

A soft snort caught Reimi's attention, and she looked down at Arumat. "Did the baby kick you?"

"Yeah." Arumat replied. He looked up at Reimi and wondered if maybe being a child was really all that bad. The human girl wasn't afraid of him anymore, and was actually being kind to him, as opposed to shying away.

The door to the item creation room slid open, and Arumat backed away from Reimi, lest someone see him actually happy.

Edge walked in, holding Faize's hand. "She doesn't bite, Faize." he said.

Faize didn't say anything, only hid behind Edge's leg. It wasn't that he was really afraid of Reimi so much as it was her temper that scared him.

"What is it, Edge?" Reimi asked. She smiled sweetly.

"Faize said he left his ear covers in here, and asked me to help find them."

"They're right here, with his clothes. But I doubt they'll fit him, and I couldn't make any small enough for his ears." Reimi said, a little sad.

Arumat sneered at Faize, who noticed the ear covers on him. "Looks like you have to use the bandage again, shrimp."

Faize frowned at Arumat. The older Eldarian had more favor with the crew because he could do things, while Faize was too small to do much of anything. Except get in the way, it seemed.

"Bandage?" Edge asked.

"Yeah. Up until we're nine or ten, the head and ears were bandaged to avoid having them touched." Arumat said, still sneering at Faize.

Faize backed away. He'd _never_ been subjected to that, mostly because he'd been alone his entire childhood, so there had been no reason.

Edge reached for Faize, but the smaller Eldarian ran. Arumat gave chase, and Faize scurried under the stage where Welch would appear for item creation. It was too small down there for Arumat to reach him. However, he'd managed to lose a boot in the process, as it was all Arumat had managed to grab.

"Come out, Faize." said Edge, looking underneath through the wiring.

"No." Faize said, pushing himself back further.

"Faize, get out from under there." said Arumat.

"No." Faize still backed himself further.

Edge could see Faize was getting dangerously close to the exposed wires for the projector. "Faize, stop!" he shouted.

Behind them, Lymle walked in and looked at Reimi. She understood something was up, and it involved Faize. Walking over, she pulled off her dress so she was in her long-sleeve undershirt and leggings. Untying her hair, she pulled it into a long braid so it would be out of the way.

Meanwhile, Edge reached under the stage to try and get Faize out. "Get out of there, Faize."

"No." Faize repeated. He backed up further, and his leg hit the wires. A loud scream escaped him, but he couldn't pull away as the electricity raced over and through his body. Then, a hand pulled him away, through the maze of wires and parts, and out into the open.

Faize was rather dazed. His leg was sore and numb, and his stomach hurt, since he'd fallen on some hard bolts when he'd been electrocuted. His ears were ringing, and he couldn't hear anything.

Lymle held him on her lap, gently petting his hair. She paused, noticing his ears were uncovered and looked very sensitive. Even worse, it looked like they were hurt.

"Why was Faize under where Welchie appears?" she asked.

"He got scared, and was trying to hide." said Reimi.

"His ears are all hurt now." Lymle used some healing symbology. "There, all better, kay?" She blinked and looked at Faize. He'd fallen asleep on her, one hand holding tightly to her brown hair.


	3. No Alcohol for Children

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**No Alcohol for Children**

Arumat yawned. It was still early morning, and no other crewmembers would be awake yet. He'd had a hard time adjusting to the new size difference in his bed, and it didn't help that Faize had been fidgeting in his sleep.

Deprived of his much-needed rest, Arumat headed out to the lounge.

It looked different with the lights dimmed. You could now quite easily see the stars as they passed, making small white lines through space. Everything was bathed in the soft glow of the stars, making them either stand out even more, or vanish from eyesight altogether.

Arumat wandered over towards one of the lounge chairs when he suddenly heard a rather loud snore. Looking around, he spotted a long, uncovered pale leg and short blue boot near the bar. He knew who it was. Myuria, and she'd drunk herself unconscious again.

Still, he wondered just how far she'd managed to strip herself this time in her drunken stupor. Last time, she'd managed to get as far as her undergarments before Baccus had carried her up to her room.

Arumat was pleasantly surprised. Myuria had managed to get down to her underwear again, but the front of her chest covering was undone, showing her large, soft breasts. If he'd been older, Arumat would have been trying to supress a hard-on, but as a child, nothing happened. Knowing the woman had her dignity, or at least would feign having it when she awoke, he reached over and carefully did up the clasp, but not before gently feeling one soft mound. Damn, she was well built.

Looking around, Arumat spotted the bottle of alcohol the Morphus woman had been drinking upon passing out. It was roughly half-full still, and Arumat had been known for his own drinking from time to time. Figuring he still had his tolerance, he downed the rest of the bottle.

Faize kicked Arumat again. "Wake up." he said, louder this time.

"Must you be so loud?" Myuria complained as she did up her skirt.

"You shouldn't drink so much, then." Faize returned. He gave the older Eldarian another kick. "Come on, Arumat. Wake up."

Arumat groaned and rolled over, sadly towards Faize. The younger's sensitive nose caught a whiff of the older's breath.

"You were drinking?" Faize asked.

"What of it?" Arumat growled.

"You're only NINE!" Faize shouted, if not to get his point across, then it was to attract the attention of Reimi and Edge.

"What is it, Faize?" asked Edge. He noticed that the now-youngest crewmember had purposefully forgotten to bandage his ears that morning. Again.

"Arumat was drinking." Faize said. He hated being a tattle-tale, but even he knew that children shouldn't have alcohol.

"Myuria." said Reimi. "You passed out drinking again, didn't you?"

The Morphus woman looked guilty.

"How can you expect a child to know what you were drinking?" Reimi continued.

Arumat cringed. He was being treated like a kid!

"If it wasn't for the fact that we normally don't have kids on board, I'd dump all the alcohol we have." said Edge. He eyed Reimi's enlarged stomach. "Actually, that might not be such a bad idea, anyway."

Arumat sat up, rubbing his head. He didn't remember anything after drinking the remains of the bottle, and apparently, not much had happened. To him, it looked like he'd fallen over and passed out right where he'd stood. He noticed Faize's ears and grinned. Reaching over, he grabbed one of the ears.

Faize dropped like a stone and lay there, twitching. Not something an ordinary Eldarian would do. Arumat screamed.

Edge turned and saw the two, one sitting and one lying. "What happened?" he asked as he picked up the twitching Faize.

"I just touched his ear. I didn't know he'd fall like that." Arumat said, worried. "He's not supposed to be twitching like that."

Faize stopped twitching and just lay there in Edge's arms. He looked around, then tried to move. But he couldn't. He just lay there as Edge put him on the couch. Faize sighed inwardly as Edge wrapped the bandaging around his ears.

Reimi looked at Arumat. "Why'd you do it?" she asked.

Arumat was used to this kind of questioning now, but he was still unsure which thing it was she was referring to. He decided on the ears. "But they were uncovered." he said.

Wrong thing to assume! Arumat's face bore a bright red mark on the cheek, and it wasn't from Reimi.

Reimi gasped. "Myuria." she started.

"Just because they were uncovered gives you no right to touch, boy." She seemed absolutely furious, and it was anyone's guess as to why.

Arumat rubbed his sore cheek. "What did I do wrong? Faize's ears were uncovered, so I touched one."

Myuria snorted at him. "And I suppose my bra was at the wrong adjustment for nothing?" she accused.

"You're the one who strips when she's drunk." Arumat returned. "I was only trying to save your dignity. I guess next time I should just leave you there for Edge and Crowe to find." He turned his head away and folded his arms.

Myuria had no return comment for him. She just stood there, trying to say something, before turning and walking away in a loud huff.

Inwardly, Arumat grinned. Finally, he'd outdone the bitch.

His joy didn't last long as Mericle again tried to hug him. All his hair seemed to stand on end, and he began shouting loudly for the cat to stop trying to kill him.

Edge looked over. "Mericle, you know he hates that." he said.

Mericle let him go, pouting. "But he's so cute." she cooed.

Arumat felt like someone had dumped a can of worms down his back. Him, cute? The thought made him shudder. He'd given up on trying to be cute and adorable back when Faize had climbed under the stage.

Reimi turned to Edge. "You know, Edge. The two of them do need to get cleaned up. It's been a week."

"Just what are you suggesting, Reimi?" Edge asked. He pointed at Arumat. "I doubt he'd get into a shower with another person, let alone another man."

Arumat nodded his agreement. "I can still reach the taps, woman." he said. He stepped on Mericle's tail as the cat got close to him again. "Leave me alone, cat."

"But Faize can't." Reimi reminded him. "So someone's going to have to bathe with Faize."

Two horrible images flashed through Arumat's mind. The first was Faize being bathed by one of the women; the other was Faize being bathed by Edge. In either case, his over-active imagination had Faize thoroughly reveling in the situation. He walked over, picked Faize up over his shoulder, and carried him up the stairs to the shower. "I'll bathe him." he said.

Faize just blinked, unsure how he'd gotten in this situation. He wouldn't have minded a few of the other crew members, and Edge in particular. But, Arumat had volunteered, so he put up with it.

Arumat stopped by their room and put Faize down. "Get some clothes." he said as they entered. He fished through his things and found a change of pants and a vest. He hated the shirts Reimi had been putting him in, but they had been comfortable. He just hated shirts.

Faize looked through his own clothes a little more carefully than Arumat did, selecting a pair of white pants and shirt. He'd been wearing the same color forever, and always white, marked like the Eldarian military uniform he used to wear.

"Don't you wear anything else?" Arumat asked. He sighed as Faize shook his head. "Come on." He dragged the younger towards the shower. But he neglected to knock as they entered.

"Hmm?" The occupant looked back, thankfully with a towel already wrapped around his waist. "Don't you knock?"

Faize looked up, only semi-delighted that Crowe was there. He would have preferred Edge, and no towel at all. He pointed at Arumat. "He pulled me in. It's not my fault."

"You are so childish." Arumat growled. He was already half-undressed, his dirty clothes piled in the hamper. "It's a men's shower, it's not like you haven't seen the parts before." He finished undressing and wrapped a towel around himself.

Crowe continued to towel his long red hair dry. "What are you two doing, anyway?" he asked.

"Reimi said we needed to shower." said Faize. He looked a little miffed as Arumat suddenly took his shirt off him. His pale skin seemed to almost glow, and the boy looked embarrassed.

"What is with you?" Arumat asked, yanking Faize's pants off him.

Faize tried to make himself as small as possible when Arumat saw the boy's problem. Sadly, Crowe saw it, too.

"Why are you wearing _that_?" Arumat asked, pointing at Faize's undergarments.

"I didn't fit the ones Reimi made." Faize said quietly. The reason for his problem? He was wearing a pair of Lymle's pink panties.

Crowe tried to avert his eyes, but couldn't. Faize was just too cute as a three-year-old, and add in the fact he was wearing girl's underwear, it just made him adorable. With a sigh, Crowe turned his back to them and began to dress.

"Get undressed." Arumat growled.

Faize finished undressing, holding a towel over his privates.

"You are such a wimp!" Arumat scolded as he pushed Faize into the shower, taking the towel away. He let his own drop as he stepped in and closed the door.

Crowe sighed and finished with his undershirt, then began putting his armor on. There was a yelp from the shower, most likely from Faize, and then a lot of cursing.

"Can't you even hold your bladder?!" Arumat shouted.

"It's too cold!" Faize whined back.

"Of course it's cold, it's a shower." Arumat yelled.

Crowe knocked on the shower door. "Warm it up for him, Arumat. He's younger than you, and not as strong."

Arumat grumbled as he turned the tap to warm the water. "Better?" he asked grudgingly.

Faize nodded and washed himself, noting that Arumat was a bit more relaxed with the water warm.

Outside, Crowe finished putting on his armor, then waited. Soon enough, the shower was over, and Arumat stepped out, tossing a towel back at Faize.

"Dry off and get dressed." he snapped. He didn't notice Faize was trying to find an edge of the towel to even start. He just toweled himself off, dressed, and walked out.

Crowe sighed and helped Faize. "It's alright, he's just frustrated." he said, drying the green hair. "There." He finished drying the little Eldarian, then helped him dress. "Better?"

Faize nodded. "Don't . . . don't tell Edge."

"About what?" Crowe asked.

Faize bit his lip. "About my underwear."

Crowe smiled. "I won't say anything." he said, ruffling Faize's hair. "Come on, let's head to the lounge."


	4. Bad Dreams

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**Bad Dreams?**

Faize followed Lymle towards the table. There were cookies, freshly baked, and piled as high as he could see, which actually wasn't far, considering his height. Looking around, he grabbed one and hid under the table to eat it.

"I saw that." said Reimi. She peeked under the table. "It's alright, Faize, you can eat some."

He crawled out from under the table, only to hide back underneath as Cerberus came bounding over. It didn't last long, and fairly soon he was hanging by his pants from the hellhound's mouth.

Lymle grinned. "See, Faize. He's a good doggy."

"Might I remind you which of us is hanging from his mouth?!" Faize whined. "Put me . . !" His pants ripped, and Faize fell to the floor.

Edge looked over at Crowe. "Am I seeing things?" he asked.

Faize got up rather quickly, putting his hands behind him in an effort to hide the pink underwear.

"Depends on what you're seeing?" Crowe returned. He was trying to give Faize a chance to run away.

Faize took the opportunity and ran to the stairs. But he was going to have to use his hands to climb. He did so rather hurriedly, but the conversation behind him was still loud enough to hear.

"is Faize wearing pink underwear?" Edge asked.

"I didn't see anything." Crowe replied, trying to divert the conversation.

"I saw it, too." Reimi said. "He's wearing Lymle's underwear, isn't he?"

"The other ones were too big, kay?" said Lymle. "I'm the only one his size."

Faize felt like he was going to die. He retreated to his room and quickly changed his pants. Then, not wanting to face the humiliation that was sure to be showered upon him, he hid under his blanket on his bed.

Reimi looked around. "Where did he go?" she asked.

"Huh?" Edge looked around. "Hey, Arumat. Have you seen where Faize went?"

"Nope." was the reply as he grabbed a handful of cookies.

Lymle looked at Cerberus. "Go find him, kay?" she said. "Find Faize, and bring him here."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Lym?" asked Edge. He watched the hellhound bound up the stairs towards the rooms.

"But Faize needs to know were not mad, kay." Lymle said. "And Cerberus is a good doggy. Faize needs to know that."

The hellhound returned with a blanket in his mouth. He put it down and accepted his cookie from Lymle.

"Faize?" asked Reimi.

The blanket only bundled tighter around the embarrassed creature.

"Faize, come on. You can't hide under there forever." said Edge.

There was no sound from the blanket.

Crowe sighed and scooped the blanket, and its occupant, up into his arms. They, obviously, had no idea what it was like being caught in girl's clothing. Making sure he had Faize right-side-up, he placed a hand on the boy's back. "It's alright, Faize."

The blanket shifted, signalling that Faize didn't think so.

Crowe sighed. "It's not as bad as you think." he continued, sitting down on the couch in the lounge.

"Yes it is." Faize whimpered back.

"Would you prefer how I first saw Edge and Reimi?" Crowe asked. This piqued the interest of several people.

Faize finally peeked out, just lifting the edge of the blanket so he could look at Crowe. "How was that?"

"In a dress." Crowe said.

"You never wore a dress." said Edge.

"Oh, really?" Crowe countered. "You remember back when you were about seven? The girl with the red hair that you danced with on Halloween?"

Edge's face paled. He'd given that girl a kiss, too.

Reimi gasped. "That was you?" she asked.

Crowe nodded. "The outfit wasn't my choice. I'd have preferred a suit, not my cousin's frilly pink dress. But, my mother wanted to pretend for one night that she'd gotten the daughter she wanted, so I was stuck in the dress and heels, done up in makeup, and forced to dance with Edge."

"Is that why you slugged me when we actually met face to face?" Edge asked.

"Yeah." said Crowe. He looked at the face of the boy in his arms. "It's alright, Faize."

"But . . ."

Arumat knew where this was going. On Eldar, for a man to wear woman's clothes was a sign of his sexuality. A rather taboo sexuality that often saw them cast out of society. "Faize."

There was a whimper from the blanket.

"On the souls of my fallen brethren, I swear I won't say anything to Gaigan, or anyone else, about this."

The others looked at Arumat. Obviously they were out of the loop on this one.

Faize finally peeked his head out of the blanket. "Promise?" he said.

Arumat nodded. "I'll take this to my grave." he replied.

Faize's ridged body relaxed. "Thanks." he whispered.

He sat up, sweat dripping from his body. Once again, the nightmare of his fallen brethren as they died had come to him. His breath was ragged, and he tried to fall asleep again. This time, the dream was different, but none the less frightening.

He was his full adult height, and was practicing with his scythe. Enemies fell before his every swing, and he laughed.

And then, it was Edge in front of him. He tried to stop, but the energy blades cut right through the captain, slashing him in half, shoulder to hip. There was a gasp behind him. As he turned, the blades went right through Myuria, left to right, through the chest. A shout and he turned again. Mericle and Serah, together, went down. A cry for help, and the scythe passed through Lymle. A gasp, and Baccus was slashed through. A scream of fear, and the scythe buried its way through Faize's shoulder. Someone yelled to run, and he turned. His scythe found its way into Crowe's back, and blood flew. The red-haired captain struggled to breathe, but all that came up was blood. And then, he too was dead. All that remained was Reimi; beautiful, pregnant Reimi. She was pleading with him to stop the madness, but his body didn't seem to be acting according to his will. The scythe moved.

Again, Arumat sat up in his bed, gasping. Sweat plastered his hair to his body, and it was cold. He was scared. Quietly, he climbed out of his bed. Something in his brain told him the others were alright, but he had to go make sure for himself. The first stop was the bed across from him, which belonged to Faize.

It was empty, the blankets a mess. Panic gripped Arumat, and he headed out of the room. He peered into the one across from his room, which belonged to Mericle and Serah. They seemed fine, even though Mericle was on the floor again.

Checking the next two rooms showed that Lymle and Myuria were fine, and Baccus and Crowe were sleeping well.

The last room, which belonged to Edge and Reimi. He'd found no sign of Faize, and was hoping the smaller Eldarian would be here. He was right.

Faize had apparently suffered a nightmare as well, and was curled tightly against Edge, asleep again. Both men seemed fine, so Arumat stole over to Reimi's bed.

"Can't sleep?" came a soft whisper. Reimi was looking at him.

"I . . . are you alright?" Arumat asked. He felt foolish.

"I'm fine. The baby's active." she smiled.

Arumat seemed relieved. Cautiously, he climbed up on the bed and put his hand on Reimi's enlarged belly.

"Having bad dreams?" Reimi asked.

Arumat nodded before realizing he'd answered her question. He looked at her. "You mind . . . can I stay here?"

Reimi smiled. "Sure. Edge seems occupied, anyway."

Arumat snuggled down beside her. It was a little awkward with the large tummy, but he managed. Slowly, he fell asleep. Thankfully, there were no more nightmares.


	5. EN 2

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**EN2**

Arumat was actually startled when they reached EN2. "But wasn't it three weeks away?" he asked.

"It's been three weeks, Arumat." said Reimi. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Why? You disappointed you'll be your adult self soon?"

"No." Arumat replied. "I just . . ." He sighed, unsure how to word his concern for Reimi and her baby.

Faize walked over. He'd spent every night finding one excuse or another to spend time in Edge's bed. He looked up at Arumat. "So, what are you going to do once we're cured?" he asked.

Without thinking, Arumat answered, "Keep an eye on Reimi."

"Why?" Edge asked as he walked over. "We need to get into dock, Reimi."

She nodded and went to follow Edge, only to pause. Carefully, she placed a hand on her stomach, as though checking the baby.

"What is it?" Arumat asked.

"I'm not sure." Reimi replied. She continued walking towards the bridge. However, Arumat made her sit in one of the spare seats when he climbed into her spot.

"Arumat, what are you doing?" asked Crowe. He was already occupying the seat either Faize or Arumat should have been in.

"The baby's doing something to make Reimi worry. I'm here so she can focus on the baby." the Eldarian replied.

"Thank you." Reimi smiled. She sat down beside Lymle.

"Huh? What the . . ? Alright, you can sit here." said Edge. Quite noticeable on his lap was Faize.

The docking procedures went well, and Edge went to talk to a few of the Morphus scientists about an antidote for the Potion of Youth. This left the others with time to wander.

Arumat walked over and took Reimi's hand.

"Hmm? What is it?" asked Reimi.

"Just keeping you safe." Arumat replied. "How's the baby?"

"I think the baby's fine, but I should see one of the doctors here, just to be safe." Reimi smiled at him. "You want to come with me?"

Arumat nodded. The entire time he'd been a child, he'd worried about Reimi and her baby, mostly due to various nightmares he'd been having. He'd also noticed a few things that were making him re-evaluate his life. For starters, he thought he might have feelings for the brunette human female, despite the fact that she had a smaller chest and hips than the average Eldarian female. He definitely had feelings towards the baby, wanting it to be strong, healthy, and safe. If Reimi were to ask him, he'd accept the Morphus surgery to extend his lifespan, just for her.

Faize got bored standing with Edge while they discussed the antidote for the Potion of Youth. So he decided to wander around. The room was full of vents and loose panels, and it wasn't hard to get into one. His curiosity had always been great, and now, he was able to satisfy some of that curiosity.

As he crawled through the vents, he wondered how long it would be before Edge noticed he wasn't there. Faize pushed aside some cords, not realizing that his motions caused a computer to short out above him.

Outside the vent, a Morphus looked back at the head scientist. "Sir, something's disturbing the computers."

"What?" asked the head. "What could be doing this?" Another three computers, in sequence, flickered.

Edge looked around. "Where's Faize?" he asked.

Suddenly, one computer started to flicker and have lines running through it. A few sparks flew, and there was the smell of burning cloth.

"Faize?" Edge called.

The tech tried to shut the power off, to no avail. More sparks flew.

"Get the access panel!" the head shouted.

"It's jammed." was the reply.

"Shut the system down!"

One of the Morphus threw the breaker switch, and all the computers shut down.

"We have to get in there." said the head.

Edge caught his arm. "I can't find Faize."

"The child?" Both of them looked over as the access panel was pried off and they heard the wire cutters being used.

A limp, burnt little body hung in the one technician's hold. Consciousness had been lost some time in what appeared to be a struggle with the wires, which had managed to tangle around his wrists and throat. The bandage that would have protected his delicate little ears was torn away, and at least one ear was burnt.

Edge accepted the small creature, cradling him close. "Faize." he whispered, brushing blackened hair out of the youthful face. There was no answer, either by waking or by moving. Faize just hung there in Edge's arms.

"This way. The medical staff will need to have a look at him." said the head. "They can patch things up hear and then get to work on the cure."

Crowe and the others gathered at the medical building when Edge paged them. They had to gather in Reimi's room, however. She'd had her baby.

"First, Congratulations to Reimi for a healthy baby." said Edge.

Reimi smiled.

"So, now for the hard question. Who's the father?" asked Crowe.

Reimi looked at the nine-year-old beside her. "You tell them." she said. "You figured it out just by looking at her."

Arumat swallowed. "She's mine." he said. He pulled the blanket back, and they saw how Arumat could tell. The baby had partially pointed ears, and a beautiful blaze of silver right down the middle of her head.

"Alright, now for the problem." said Edge.

Arumat glanced around. "Where's the pipsqueak?" he asked, referring to Faize.

"He's burnt up." said Edge. "Faize got caught in some wiring and got burnt pretty badly. He's been cared for, but they said unless the antidote is found soon, he may not survive the burns."

"How did this happen?" asked Crowe.

"We're not sure, but the theory is that he got curious about something and followed it into one of the computers." Edge replied.

"How goes finding the cure?" asked Myuria.

"They said with the sample that remained in the bottle they should be able to have one made up fairly soon." Edge answered. He sighed.

How could he have let this happen, and to Faize of all people? It had been his responsibility to keep an eye on the small Eldarian, and he'd foolishly thought that Faize would just stand there while he talked with the research team about them remedy. Faize was a child! Of course he'd get bored and start to wander around.

"Edge." Crowe put a hand on his shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up over this. Come on. I'll come with you to see him."

The two men walked over to where Faize lay. His head and ears were bandaged, his throat, his arms, part of his torso, and his left leg.

"This is my fault, Crowe." said Edge. "I shouldn't have taken him with me to find out about the cure for the Potion of Youth. I should have let you take him."

Faize shifted and blinked. Everything hurt, but he knew it was his own fault. He should never have wandered away from Edge. And he should have known that the Earth adage 'curiosity killed the cat' would eventually play out for him as well. After all, he was a crewmember of an Earthen ship.

"Edge, look." said Crowe.

Edge looked up. "Faize." A shaking hand reached over and touched Faize's cheek. "I was worried about you. Why did you wander off?"

Faize sighed. "I got bored." he said softly. He started to cough. When that finally settled, he looked worn and tired.

"It's alright to sleep, Faize." said Edge.


	6. Cured

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**Cured**

The remedy for the Potion of Youth was ready by the next morning. Arumat stood ready as they gave him the glass. Because they knew he was going to get bigger, he was wearing his original clothes, mostly tied to him to keep them from falling off. He looked at Reimi, swallowed, and drank.

At first, nothing happened. Then, Reimi began to notice the clothing was starting to fit him better. He looked taller, older. And then, it was over. Arumat was again twenty-four-years-old, both in mind and body.

"Well, how do you feel?" asked Crowe.

Arumat stretched his shoulders back, and they heard a loud crunching sound. He proceeded to rotate his head and flex his hands, and there was more crunching. "That's better." he said.

"I have to see how they plan on giving this to Faize." Crowe said. He turned and left, leaving Arumat with Reimi.

Reimi flinched as Arumat walked towards her. Her brown eyes looked up at him, just a little worried. But the hand that gripped her shoulder was strong and gentle, not harsh or angry. Startled, she looked up at him.

"How are you doing?" Arumat asked.

"I feel fine, thank you." Reimi replied. She didn't expect him to draw her closer, into a warm embrace.

"Reimi, you can hit me for this later, but I need to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I have feelings for you. Just you. I would do anything; kill anyone, to keep you safe and alive. There's no word for this on Eldar, and I'm confused."

Reimi blinked, then carefully put her arms around Arumat. "It's called love."

Arumat seemed to be testing the word for a moment. "What does it mean?"

"It means to have a desire to be with someone for the rest of your life, to want to hold and cherish them forever."

Arumat thought on this. It was the perfect definition of what he felt towards Reimi. He looked down at the girl snuggled against his chest and decided to try it. "I love you."

Reimi looked up, then leaned her head on his chest. "I love you, too." she said. "But, what do I tell Edge? He seemed to have plans for me and him to be together?"

"We'll have to prove our love is stronger than any of his 'plans' are." Arumat replied, tilting her head up. He'd seen it before, the exchange of mouth fluids that humans and a few other species did. So, he tried it. He kissed Reimi.

Faize had weakened in just the few hours he'd been in the hospital. The healing symbology wasn't working as well as they'd hoped, and they had no idea if it had damaged his nervous system as well.

Eating or drinking was out of the question. Every time he tried, it hurt, and he vomited. In a fit of panic, they had strapped him down and pushed a feeding tube up his nose and down his throat. Now, Faize just lay there, still strapped down because he'd already managed to pull one annoying tube out.

"We'll give it to him through the tube." said the doctor. "We need to fit him with a new one once he's returned to his adult size."

They lay a blanket over Faize's small, but barren, frame and started the syringe of antidote through the tube.

Faize screamed. He hated the tube, the strange feeling as his stomach filled with no effort. But even his screams were weak. He lay there, sobbing, as the antidote took effect. It wasn't long before he was his eighteen-year-old height. The tube was removed from his nose, an act that had him gagging. But when they tried to get another one in, he struggled, providing them with another problem.

No one had loosened the restraints before giving Faize the antidote, so they were still set to child size. Now, they were too tight, and digging in to places straps were never meant to go.

A hand grabbed his head, forcing him to remain still. The fear in those amethyst eyes went unheeded as they adjusted the straps and forced another tube down his nose. Again, he gagged, then lay there as they checked for the placement, to make sure the end was in his stomach.

Edge had watched through the whole thing, and as the last medical caregiver left, he walked over and petted Faize's hair. "Why do you fight it? We're trying to help you."

Faize made a face, then heaved. Bile pooled by his head as he heaved again and again. When it was over, he lay there, shaking. As the nurse came and changed the blankets they had near his head for just such purpose, Faize looked at Edge. "I'm scared." he whispered. "It's strange, hurts." His hand managed to slip out of the restraint, and he gripped Edge's shirt. "Can't you fix it? Please?" Tears ran down his face.

Edge sighed. Carefully, he put his hand over the damaged wrist and tried his healing symbology. When he pulled his hand back, it was only a light scar.

Faize blinked at him slowly, then suddenly dropped off to sleep, so he didn't know that Edge went meticulously from one wound to the next, healing each one individually, before flopping into a chair and falling asleep.


	7. Knowledge, And The Will To Act Upon It

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**Knowledge, and the Will to Act Upon It**

Arumat sat in his room. It had been three days since he'd been returned to his adult height, and he hadn't slept at all during those three days. His mind kept going over things, and now, he had his answer.

Getting up, he walked over to where Reimi and Edge shared a room. He knocked, then entered. As he'd hoped, both were there.

"Hey, Arumat." said Edge. "Something wrong? You look like you haven't slept for days."

"No - well, yes and no. No, nothing's wrong, yes, I haven't slept."

"Why can't you sleep?" Reimi asked.

"Because I've had to think several things over." Arumat replied. "And a number of them depend on your answer, Miss Reimi."

"What's with the formality?" Reimi asked. "I've always just been Reimi."

Arumat swallowed, trying to keep from losing his last meal. "Reimi, light of my dark existence, and siren of my heart, would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Edge almost choked. True, he hadn't had any real feelings of love towards his childhood friend, but that Arumat P. Thanatos, self-proclaimed God of Death and Grim Reaper, had fallen for her was nothing short of a surprise.

Reimi blinked up at him for a moment, then smiled at seeing Edge's shocked face. "Yes, Arumat. I'll marry you." She stood and kissed him.

Edge cleared his throat after the kiss had stayed for a few minutes. "Congratulations." he said. "You do know I have to change the room arrangements, right?"

"Yes, and your point is?" Arumat asked. "Faize made it perfectly clear he has at least admiration for you, if nothing else."

Edge nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I noticed." he said. "Well, we'll change where Reimi and Faize are sleeping, then. It shouldn't look too bad to the rest of the crew, seeing as how you two are going to be married."

"Now, what was it that depended on my answer, Arumat?" asked Reimi.

"I asked one of the Morphus doctors how much time I had left." Arumat replied. "The answer wasn't that good."

Reimi gently touched his face. "How long did they give you?" she asked.

"Two years, at best." Arumat replied. He put a hand on Reimi's cheek. "With your permission, and if you want it, I'm willing to take the corrective surgery offered."

Reimi nodded. "Take it, Arumat. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Edge joined Crowe at Faize's hospital bedside later that day. "Any news?" he asked.

"They said that the healing done to his wounds has increased his chances for survival." Crowe replied. "However, he has yet to wake up."

Edge sat on the edge of the bed and gently took the pale, slender hand in his. He sighed.

"What is it, Edge?" Crowe asked.

"Reimi's getting married." Edge replied. "After Arumat's surgery."

"Arumat's going for the corrective surgery?" Crowe asked. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Reimi, would it?"

"It has everything to do with her. She's his bride."

"You don't seem as bothered by this as one would expect you to be." Crowe observed.

"I'm happy for her." Edge said. "I'm glad she found her love."

Crowe could see where the conversation was going, but prodded anyway. "But . . ."

"I wish mine would wake up." He suddenly dropped the hand and covered his mouth.

"It's alright." said Crowe. "I kinda guessed, with the way he practically clung to you when he was a child, and the way you coddled and tried to protect him, that you both had feelings for each other. In a way, I'm glad."

"Why? I thought you liked Faize?" Edge asked.

"I do." Crowe admitted. "But the feelings were never returned. Faize's eyes were always on you." He sighed. "Besides, I kinda realized that someone's eyes were always on me, and I'm trying to find out why."

Edge looked back at Faize's sleeping face. "Would it be Myuria or Lymle?" he asked.

"The younger." Crowe replied. "She kept asking me when Arumat and Faize were going to be grown up so we could go item-hunting again." He sighed, and smiled softly. "She liked being on my hunting team."

"Yeah. She was upset this morning that you were staying to watch Faize." Edge said. He gently ran his fingers over the pale face. Was it his imagination? Had Faize's eyes moved? He ran his thumb along Faize's jawline. There it was again.

"Crowe?"

"Yes?"

"Am I seeing things?" Edge asked. "I swear he's reacting to my touch." He ran his hand over Faize's cheek. Faize definitely reacted that time. His eyelids twitched, and opened just slightly.

"Faize?" Edge tilted the Eldarian's face up towards him.

"Edge?" Faize whispered. He coughed, since the tube was still in his nose and throat. Without really thinking, he cuddled the hand that was against his face.

"Rooms are changing." Edge said. He noticed Faize was trying to pay attention to him and not the _thing_ in his nose. "You and Reimi are changing places."

"Why?" Faize whispered.

"Reimi and Arumat are getting married." Edge replied. "He asked her this morning. Tomorrow he goes for the corrective surgery and the healing symbology, and then they'll be wed."

Faize nodded. "So . . ."

"You'll be with me." Edge said in answer to the unasked question. "As soon as you're out of here."

"That can't come soon enough." Faize breathed. He looked towards the door, and terror gripped him. He knew what the nurse was holding in her hand. He turned his head to try and hide the tube.

"Faize?" Edge looked over at the nurse. "When will he be able to try eating?" he asked.

"If he thinks he can try holding something down, we can try." the nurse replied.

Arumat and Faize returned to the Calnus the same day. Both were weak and weary, but glad to be back.

Two days later, Arumat and Reimi were wed. This made Arumat the first Eldarian to take a bride that wasn't of his own species. But he didn't care. He was happy.


	8. To Ace on Instinct

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**To Act on Instinct**

Faize looked over at the clock. It was still the early hours of the morning, and yet his beloved captain was nowhere in the room. He'd tried getting to sleep, but it was useless. He'd gotten used to sleeping with someone else at least in the same room as him; to sleep alone was now strange and foreign to him.

Crawling out of bed, he walked across the room to Edge's bed and sat down. The sheets were messy, proving that Edge hadn't had the time to make it the morning prior. Faize lay across the bed, burying his face in the sheets, trying to capture Edge's scent. It was there. The smell of his sweat, the musky scent of a human that had worked hard. Faize sighed, and, without realizing it, curled into the bed and drifted off.

Edge stepped in about an hour later and was startled to see Faize's bed unoccupied. Almost knowing, he looked over at his bed. Yup, the Eldarian had crawled over there to find his comfort. He decided not to wake Faize, and stripped out of his armor and clothes. Left only in his boxers, he tried to figure out what to do about his own sleeping arrangement.

"Edge?" Faize looked up from the bed. He sat up, slightly embarrassed that he'd been caught snuggling the sheets. But still, maybe now was a good time?

"It's alright, Faize." Edge said. He wasn't really watching, so he didn't notice Faize slide off the bed and get rather close to him at floor-level. Edge only realized something was up when a slender pair of hands pulled his boxers down. "Uh, Faize?"

Faize brought his face close to Edge's manhood, noticing that it was already partially hardened. Licking his lips, Faize gently kissed it. He caught Edge's surprise, even as he brought his hand up to play with his captain's soft sac while he tried a slightly more direct approach to Edge's member. He put his lips over the end of it, then tried to take in more. Gently, he sucked on it.

Edge hissed. What had gotten into his roommate for Faize to try this? And at 1:30 in the morning, too. Still, the sensation was good, and he felt himself get harder.

Faize felt comfortable with the depth and rhythm of his movements up and down Edge's shaft, so he wasn't prepared when Edge's hips suddenly bucked forward. He nearly choked, but figured Edge could set the rhythm if he wanted. He looked up at Edge, peering through his emerald bangs at his captain.

Edge pulled Faize up to standing, kissing him fully on the lips. He was mildly surprised that Faize had gone to bed naked, but was also enjoying it as he felt Faize's hard member against his own. Carefully, he pushed his lover down onto the bed. His hand wandered over to the desk, and he reached into the drawer for a bottle of massage gel that was also meant for . . . _other_ activities.

Faize grabbed hold of Edge's hair, pulling him back down into the embrace. He'd dreamed of this, and if it was just another fantasy, he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. His hips bucked against Edge's, rubbing their hard-ons against each other.

Edge gently squirted some of the gel onto his fingers, working the wetness around on them before pressing a finger into Faize's lower entrance. The result was a small whimper and more kisses.

"Edge, I love you." Faize whispered. He felt Edge move where he was kissing to Faize's neck, and then a carefully calculated lick along the edge of the bare ear. Faize moaned, his hips bucking against Edge's with a little more force. He didn't even notice the second finger slide into his ass; he was so caught in the pleasure of having Edge's undivided attention.

Faize noticed the third finger go in, and he hissed with the pain. "Edge. . ." he whimpered.

"Shh." Edge kissed Faize over and over, first on the lips, then over his neck and chest. He carefully moved his fingers back and forth, carefully opening them to prepare Faize for what was going to happen.

"Edge . . ." Faize was gasping. "Edge . . . Aah! Edge!"

Edge pulled his fingers out of his Eldarian lover. "Turn over."

Faize did so, looking back over his shoulder as Edge squirted the gel on his hard erection, then pressed into Faize.

The Eldarian accepted Edge quite easily into his body, and Faize moaned. Idly, he wondered if he should admit to Edge the fantasies he'd had while playing with himself to alleviate stress. He pushed back against Edge, trying to encourage the other to move a little more.

Edge grabbed hold of Faize's hard-on and began to quickly massage it as he thrust into his lover. "Oh, Faize." he moaned.

Neither noticed the banging on the wall as they both reached their climax. Faize's seed shot across the bed, while Edge filled Faize. The pair collapsed into the sheets, tired and fulfilled. Edge carefully pulled out of Faize, falling to the bed beside him.

"Edge . . . Thank you." Faize whispered.

The Human captain pulled the petit Eldarian close. "Thank you, too." he whispered.

Arumat raised his eyebrow at them the next morning as Faize yawned. "Not enough sleep, lad?" he asked.

Faize scratched his head and stifled another yawn. "What do you mean?" he asked, accepting the warm beverage from Edge.

"He means that you and the captain kept him up last night." said Reimi as she fed the baby.

Edge looked guilty. "Sorry. It was just . . ."

"The heat of the moment." said Arumat. "Don't worry. I doubt you got much sleep the night Reimi and I were married."

Faize made a face. "This is certainly an odd drink, Edge."

Arumat eyed the cup as Faize put it down, holding his head. "Edge, what is that you gave him?"

"Coffee. He's had it before."

"And how was his performance after drinking it?" Arumat asked. He was now watching as Faize slumped into a seat.

"It was always a little off afterwards, but I figured it was just from the lack of sleep the night before."

Faize made a face and put a hand over his chest. He didn't seem to be feeling all that well. "Edge, I think I need to lay down." he said. He got up from the chair, only to grip his chest and fall over. Crowe caught him.

"Edge, is that de-caffeinated?" he asked as he sat Faize down on the floor.

"No, why?"

"Caffeine has a high chance of giving Eldarians heart attacks." Crowe replied. He scooped Faize up and carried him to bed. Edge followed.

"I didn't know." he said.

"You're lucky, Faize. It's only palpitations, but I wouldn't suggest any strenuous activity for the next two days." said Crowe. He looked back at Edge. "And no more coffee, got that?"

Edge cringed. "Yes, Crowe." He stayed by Faize's side while Crowe left.

Faize looked over at him. "Edge?"

"I'm so sorry, Faize. I had no idea."

"It's alright."

"I almost killed you. I'm so sorry." Edge nearly collapsed over the Eldarian, crying. "I'm sorry."

Faize put a hand on Edge's back. He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.


	9. A Silently Bold Statement

This is a Star Ocean The Last Hope fan-fiction. It has nothing to do with the game, and I'm _trying_ to keep them in character, but it's hard sometimes.

Special thanks to Ciissi for the idea that sparked this story.

**A Silently Bold Statement**

Faize recovered from his near-heart attack, though he was wary of any form of warm liquid that was contained in a mug for a while. But it became apparent to everyone that something was bothering him.

"Edgie." said Lymle. She'd grown, and while she was still rather short, she was starting to look more like a little lady instead of a child.

"What is it, Lym?"

"What's wrong with Faize?" she asked. "Cause whatever it is, it's making my Crowie sad."

"I'm not sure what's up." Edge looked up as Crowe came in, looking at a data-pad. "Hey, Crowe. Do you know what's wrong with Faize?"

Crowe didn't look up. "He's lock himself in the item creation room." he said. He stopped just short of bumping into Lymle and finally looked up. "And whatever he's doing in there is making a lot of noise."

It also became apparent he wasn't using his translator, as a series of unrecognizable words suddenly came from the item creation. Arumat looked over, somewhat startled.

"What is it, honey?" asked Reimi.

"There are only so many curses one can use in Eldarian." Arumat replied. "And I **_NEVER_** taught him that one."

Faize emerged briefly from the item creation and tossed Mericle across the room. He yelled something at her, then turned on his heal and returned to the room he'd been in prior.

"Meow?" said Mericle.

"He said to stay out, you stupid cat." said Arumat. "Only he used seven curse-words for you."

Edge blinked. "I didn't know Faize had such a . . . colorful vocabulary."

"He normally doesn't." Arumat replied.

Faize looked again at his handiwork. It wasn't something he'd normally be caught dead in, but if he was to make this statement to Edge, he would have to. Besides, it was such a nice color, and made of expensive Eldarian silk. Both were, but the other was more suited, and fitted, for Edge. Add that to the other items he'd tried so carefully to tool out, and he was sure that Edge would either truly love him or eternally hate him for what he was about to do.

But the first step as to hide the silken garments. Carefully, Faize folded to two items and slid them in a box. On top of these, he placed the two items he'd made, then closed it. With a sigh, he turned his translator back on and walked out, carrying the box.

"Faize?" Edge asked.

Faize looked over. "Oh, hi, Edge." He tried to keep the color from rising to his cheeks. It only sort-of worked.

"What were you working on in there?" Edge asked, eyeing the crate.

"I'll tell you later." said Faize. He hurried off to the bedroom, where he hid the box in one of his drawers under the bed. He sat down and sighed. Carefully, he turned the translator off again and grabbed his data pad. He tapped the corner, and the short lesson began.

Edge stepped into the room and was pleasantly startled. Faize was trying to learn English.

Faize looked up and paused the lesson.

"Keep going." Edge said.

Faize looked at him, slightly confused. He thought he'd try saying something in Edge's native tongue. "Hello." he said. His eyes studied Edge to see if he'd said something wrong.

Edge smiled. "Hello, Faize."

Faize understood the first word; it was what he'd just said. But the second sounded strange to his ears. He tilted his head, looking confused.

Edge smiled. He pointed to himself. "Edge Maverick." he said.

Faize repeated the words a few times, until he was sure he'd gotten it right. Looking a little embarrassed, he proceeded to say his own name, but in Eldarian. It sounded only slightly like what it did translated.

Edge could see that it meant a lot for Faize to be trying this with him, so he carefully repeated the words. Faize corrected him twice before he had it right.

Faize sighed and tapped the translator on. "I've been trying to learn." he said. "But there's still a lot I don't understand."

"How long have you been learning?" Edge asked.

"Since I was assigned to the ship." Faize replied. "Names are the hardest."

"You'll learn." Edge smiled. "Now, what were you working on?"

Faize sighed. "Edge, what am I to you?"

Edge blinked at the suddenly strange question. "I don't get what you mean." he said.

"What am I to you?" Faize asked. He looked at Edge, his amethyst eyes full of questioning, worry, and hope.

Edge understood the question this time. He sat on his knees in front of the Eldarian. "You're my world, Faize. You're my lover, my life, my best friend. My companion when I need someone the most." Edge reached over and touched Faize's pale cheek. "I love you, more than anything."

Faize reached his hand up and touched the hand holding his face. "You're my everything, too, Edge." he said. "My earth and sky, my treasure, is you." He looked at Edge, a small smile on his face. "Would you object to making our declarations permanent?"

Edge didn't quite understand as Faize pulled the box out of its hiding place. Not until he saw what lay inside. "Yes, Faize. Let's make this permanent."

Edge fixed the front of his silken suit. The colors were not traditional, but rather, it was lightly tinted to accent his hair color. He sighed and looked up at the judge that would perform the ceremony.

The only witnesses to this occasion would be Crowe and Arumat, who were both dressed in their military finery. Arumat hated it.

And then, Edge's 'bride' walked in. The dress was floor-length, and tinted just the palest green. A laurel of silken flowers circled the emerald hair, and if it hadn't been for the fact that the 'bride' was as flat as a pancake on the front and was actually male, this would have made a perfect picture.

But Faize knew what he was doing. He was declaring before Eldar that he wasn't going to take a woman as his partner, and declaring before Earth that he was Edge's wife.

And so the ceremony began. As the rings were exchanged, Edge noticed that the etching was actually words, written in English and in Eldarian. He would ask what the Eldarian words were later. Right now, his precious 'bride' was all that mattered.

And that kiss. That sweet, loving kiss that sealed the fact that they were, and always would be, one. It was etched forever in Faize and Edge's minds, as an eternal symbol of their love.


End file.
